8-year-old girl takes Md. Gov. O'Malley's place

Jul. 2, 2013
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Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, is in his second term in office. / Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images

by Catalina Camia, USA TODAY

by Catalina Camia, USA TODAY

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Maryland has a female governor for Tuesday, and she's 8 years old.

Genea Harrison, a rising fourth-grader in Prince George's County, Md., won an essay contest aimed at encouraging young women to pursue public service as careers. Her essay was selected by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, so Genea gets to be governor for the day.

O'Malley, a second-term Democrat, administered her the oath of office Tuesday.

In her essay, Genea said she'd like to reduce class sizes in public schools, improve public safety and protect the environment - including making sure there is no pollution and trash in the Chesapeake Bay "for the fish and the crabs."

Genea is getting all kinds of encouragement on Twitter, including from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, White House adviser Valerie Jarrett and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a former governor of Kansas.

She's also got a jam-packed schedule, including a meeting with Pu-Tsung King, the chief representative of Taiwan in the United States, and helping Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown swear in the state's new transportation secretary and energy administrator.